Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo said this week when two evenly-matched teams get together the game always comes down to turnovers and mistakes.

Air Force committed all the turnovers while Navy made no major mistakes and the result proved Niumatalolo right.

Quarterback Keenan Reynolds accounted for 300 yards of total offense and the defense forced four turnovers as Navy took a big step toward reclaiming the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy with a 33-11 victory over Air Force on Saturday.

“The biggest thing we did that led us to be successful was not turning the ball over,” Reynolds said. “That’s what we’ve been harping on all week. I’m proud of my teammates. Everybody had good ball security. It was just a good day from that perspective.”

An announced crowd of 32,705 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium that braved cold, rainy conditions watched Reynolds rush for 183 yards on 24 carries and add 117 passing yards on just four completions.

It was a redemptive performance for Reynolds, who admitted he did not play well in last year’s loss to Air Force out in Colorado Springs. Slowed by a nagging knee injury, Reynolds rushed for just 27 yards on 21 carries and completed only 6 of 14 passes. He committed a fumble in Navy territory and had a pass intercepted in the Air Force end zone.

“I felt good coming into this game because No. 19 was healthy and he was ready to go,” Niumatalolo said. “Keenan wanted to win this game and was ready. He didn’t say much, but he knew what time it was.”

Reynolds set up two touchdowns with runs of 54 and 67 yards and completed a 27-yard pass to wide receiver Thomas Wilson for another score. Fullback Chris Swain rushed for 54 yards and two touchdowns for the Midshipmen, who are off to a 4-0 start for the first time since 2004.

“We had a quiet confidence coming into this game. We knew we were prepared, we were ready for the elements,” Niumatalolo said. “We were able to practice in the rain to get ready for a wet ball.”

Kicker Austin Grebe booted field goals of 36 and 24 yards in the fourth quarter to give Navy its largest margin of victory against Air Force since 1978. Navy can capture the coveted Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy for the 10th time since 2003 by beating archrival Army on December 12 in Philadelphia.

“I’m just proud of the way we played overall as a team,” Niumatalolo said. “Our goals going into this game were simple: Take care of the ball on offense, no eye violations on defense, and we did it all. Hats off to our football team for a hard-fought win.”

Air Force spent considerable time in Navy territory, but blew multiple scoring opportunities because of three lost fumbles and an interception. Defensive end Will Anthony was responsible for two forced fumbles while safety Kwazel Bertrand had two fumble recoveries for the Mids.

“Anytime there are four turnovers… and quite frankly there could’ve been more. On the flip side, we haven’t forced a turnover in two games. Quite frankly, I don’t know if we were close to forcing one today,” Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun said. “That tells a whole lot about today. One team handled the ball exceptionally well and one team did not.”

Inside linebacker Daniel Gonzales recorded a team-high 11 tackles while Anthony finished with eight for Navy, which limited Air Force to 277 total yards. The Falcons managed only 204 rushing yards, 163 below their season average.

“Speechless,” Niumatalolo responded when asked about the Navy defensive effort. “I thought the defense played great. Coach (Dale) Pehrson and the defensive staff had a great game-plan. I love what they did. Those turnovers were huge.”

Reynolds rushed for 117 yards and tossed a touchdown pass to stake Navy to a 21-0 halftime lead. He broke long runs on option keepers to put the Mids in position to score their first two touchdowns then connected with Wilson for the third.

Air Force moved the ball effectively and lived in Navy territory, but killed itself with turnovers. The Falcons lost three fumbles and threw an interception on four consecutive possessions with all of the miscues coming on the Midshipmen’s side of the field.

Navy could not have started the game better, forcing a three-and-out on Air Force’s opening possession then getting a 54-yard run from Reynolds on its first play from scrimmage.

Reynolds faked to the fullback then raced through a huge hole on the right side, reaching the 13-yard line before being dragged down from behind by cornerback Kalon Baker. Four plays later, Swain bulled his way over from 2 yards out to give the Mids an early 7-0 lead.

Air Force marched to the Navy 1-yard line on its second possession, but the Navy defense rose to the occasion. Bertrand was in on both tackles as 240-pound fullback Shayne Davern was stuffed on third and fourth down.

Air Force started its next two drives in Navy territory and could not capitalize. Roberts fumbled after fullback D.J. Johnson was pushed into him by Anthony and Bertrand recovered. Those same two Mids were involved in the next turnover as well with Anthony punching the ball out of the hands of tailback Jacobi Owens and Bertrand falling on it.

Navy scored its third touchdown in between those two fumbles. Reynolds completed a 26-yard pass to slotback DeBrandon Sanders to bring the ball into Air Force territory then tossed a 27-yard touchdown pass to Wilson, who did a great job of going up to get the ball.

Air Force was at the Navy 34-yard line when Roberts threw a high pass that skipped off the fingertips of tight end Ryan Reffitt and into the arms of cornerback Brendon Clements. A 28-yard punt by Alex Barta put the Falcons back in business at the home team’s 35-yard line and this time wide receiver Garrett Brown simply mishandled a pitch.

Navy’s offense, which had gone nowhere on two straight possessions, finally came back to life thanks to Reynolds. On first down from his own 32, Reynolds once again found a big hole on a keeper and rambled 67 yards to the visitor’s 1-yard line. Slotback Demond Brown got the payoff, taking a pitch and scooting untouched into the end zone.

Navy got the ball to start the second half and quickly tacked on another touchdown. Sanders took a pitchout 15 yards to get things started and a 15-yard pass interference penalty on third down kept the drive alive. Reynolds then completed 31-yard pass to slotback Dishane Romine to set up first-and-goal from the 4-yard line. The Midshipmen went for it on fourth down from the 1-yard line and Swain bulled in from there.

Air Force finally got on the board with 4:14 left in the third period on a 39-yard field goal by Drew Oehrle. The Falcons cut the deficit to 27-11 at the 13:46 mark of the fourth quarter after Roberts scored a touchdown and two-point conversion.

Navy’s offense responded with a drive that took 5:46 off the clock and ended with a 36-yard field goal by Grebe that increased the lead to 30-11 with 8 minutes remaining. Reynolds got that possession started with a 33-yard completion to wide receiver Craig Scott on first down.